NWR: How do you wash clothes by hand?

redwoodoriginal

As in, what type of soap do you use? laundry detergent or hand soap?

Basically, I have this super nice lacey dress that i thought was dry clean only and turns out it says to Handwash it. I've worn it enough times now that I feel it warrants a cleaning, but I realized I don't actually know how to clean it. Do I turn it inside out? Do I just plop it in soapy water in my sink? I don't think I should rub the material against itself (like scrubbing it)....

any advice?

Thanks ladies!!

novella1186

I've only owned one thing that was so delicate I felt that it truly required hand washing (most stuff that says to hand wash, I just toss it in the washing machine on gentle and then lay it flat to dry and it does fine). 

I filled the bathroom sink with cold water and put in a little drop of laundry soap, and then I kind of just swished it around. Then drained the sink and rinsed with plain water to make sure all the soap was gone. Then gently wrung out the excess water and laid it out so it could dry. I don't know if that's the "right" method, but it worked fine for me. 

Good luck! 

JoanE2012

novella1186 said:

I've only owned one thing that was so delicate I felt that it truly required hand washing (most stuff that says to hand wash, I just toss it in the washing machine on gentle and then lay it flat to dry and it does fine). 

I filled the bathroom sink with cold water and put in a little drop of laundry soap, and then I kind of just swished it around. Then drained the sink and rinsed with plain water to make sure all the soap was gone. Then gently wrung out the excess water and laid it out so it could dry. I don't know if that's the "right" method, but it worked fine for me. 

Good luck! 

Yup, this is exactly what I do when I hand wash!  For the stuff I think can survive the washer, I will put it in a mesh lingerie bag to protect it a bit more and throw it in the washer on delicate cycle. 

charlottesmom0626

I got really good at this when I lived in Nepal with no washer or dryer (jeans are a bitch to hand wash BTW) 

 You're going to want a large sink or multiple buckets. Take a drop of laundry degeregnt (or woollite for sensitive things) and fill the sink or bucket with cold water and the detergent. Add your item and gently squeeze/swoosh it around. 

If there's a specific spot of food or something, rub that between your thumb and first finger (add a drop more detergent there if needed). After nice and suds-y, transfer to second bucket or empty and refill the sink. Squeeze and swoosh again. Continue to dump and refill the sink or buckets until no signs of soap are left. 

 Take a dry towel and lay your item on top of the towel, roll it up and squeeze gentle to get most of the water out. Then dry flat or hang on a line (depending on item care on the tag)

ETA: paragraphs 

redwoodoriginal

Thanks ladies!! I only ever hand washed things in Colombia but that was ALL our clothing with a scrub brush in an outdoor sink so I was struggling on how to wash inside bc of the delicate nature of the dress.

sarahufl

I use Woolite in the sink. Be careful about wringing things out- some garments suggest you dont.

I also dry flat, rather than hanging- I once hung a dress instead of drying it flat and it was all wonky and messed up after that.

onefootinthebayou

I use a plastic wash basin & Woolite. I hand wash all my fine lingerie & anything that says "dry clean OR hand wash". I feel like it saves a lot of $. I usually wash all items in really cold water so they don't fade or shrink.

I let the items soak for 15-30 mins, give it a bunch of swishes with my hands, then rinse several times. Ditto sarahufl in that I don't wring out. I gently press water out & lay on a towel, then out straight on a drying rack.

It sounds harder than it is & my dry cleaning bill is high enough. I get a wierd satisfaction from hand washing clothes.

lovesclimbing

I do essentially what the other ladies have said. I use laundry detergent.

kvruns

bathroom sink (make sure it is clean!) filled with cold water and a little bit of Woolite. Let it soak in bubbles a bit and then rub the fabric against itself.  Drain sink, rinse with cold water til detergent gone.  Lay out a big towel, lay garment on it and roll it up tight to get out excess water.  Then lay to dry somewhere

jenna8984

I'm embarrassingly excited about this post right now. I have 2 lacey shirts set out on my dresser that I've been meaning to hand wash for a month now but haven't gotten around to it because I didn't know how. My bathroom sink at the apartment is literally the size of a mousepad so I will have to find some buckets...or actually clean all the food residue off the kitchen sink lol.